What museums are worth visiting in La Rochelle?

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Essential in Charente-Maritime, the museums of La Rochelle offer a true cultural escape. Art, history or science museums, discover the heritage of the city and the region according to your visits and your desires!

Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum is located on the port of La Rochelle, very close to La Rochelle Aquarium. On the former trawler basin of the Old Port, its multicolored pavilions give an original look to this museum unlike any other. The visit is divided into 3 spaces: 

• The gallery of pavilions houses the permanent exhibition of the museum, “La Rochelle born from the sea”. Thanks to films, numerous models, maps and scale models, the interactive journey will make you discover the fascinating destiny of this port city through the centuries. 
• The floating ships are located outside the main building. This unique fleet in France houses 8 historic boats (classic trawler, former meteorological frigate, tug, etc.) some of which are classified as historic monuments and can be visited entirely. 
• The temporary exhibition “Climate-Ocean” raises public awareness of the effects of pollution, overfishing and climate change on the oceans.

A must-do visit in La Rochelle!

Bunker of La Rochelle

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In the city center, a stone's throw from the La Rochelle market, this incredible 300 m2 blockhouse built by the German army in 1941 has remained intact since 1945. Its visit allows you to learn more about the daily life of the people of La Rochelle during the Second World War. Archives, period objects and rare pieces perfectly preserved offer a remarkable historical reconstruction. Are you visiting La Rochelle with your family? For the youngest, a treasure hunt through the museum will allow you to obtain a resistance fighter's diploma! 

Museum of Automata

Right next to the Maritime Museum of La Rochelle, the museum of automata amazes young and old with its precision mechanics giving birth to almost real characters. The entrance ticket also gives access to the museum of models located right next door. A real gem for enthusiasts!

Natural History Museum

This 19th century museum was completely renovated in 2007 but retains its old-world charm with its old-fashioned windows and its pretty botanical garden. Its impressive naturalist and ethnographic collections are presented on 5 levels and 32 rooms highlighting the coastal territory, marine fossils and minerals (including a meteorite sample), the zoology gallery and its famous dodo, objects collected by explorers from all over the world… A fabulous journey for all audiences and all ages.

Museum of the New World

Housed in a beautiful 13th century mansion, this museum is dedicated to colonial history and slavery in the West Indies colonies. Recounting the relations between La Rochelle and the Americas, it focuses on the triangular trade which made the fortune of the White City. Instructive and educational, contemporary creations are also exhibited there. 

Museum of Fine Arts

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This museum has occupied a former episcopal palace built under Louis XVI, the Hôtel Crussol d'Uzès, since 1844. Its collection has more than 900 works (mainly paintings and drawings) and offers a rich panorama of European art from the 15th to the beginning of the 20th century. National artists (Camille Corot, Paul Huet or Gustave Doré) and regional artists (such as Eugène Fromentin or Théodore Chassériau) are exhibited there. You can also admire superb collections of decorative arts and Asian art.

Protestant Museum

Near the Quai Maubec, a few streets from the town hall, the Musée Rochelais d'Histoire Protestante is mainly devoted to the history of Protestantism in La Rochelle, Aunis and Saintonge. On site, you can admire an impressive collection of bibles, testimonies from exiles during the wars of religion as well as cult objects and magnificent engravings. Essential to better understand the spirit of the Reformation and its establishment on La Rochelle soil. 

The Residence of the Indies

The Musée de la Résidence des Indes is housed in the private mansion of the shipowner-merchant Weiss, local representative of the Compagnie des Indes et de la Chine in the 18th century. It contains a wide variety of Chinese, Japanese and Indian objects, a cabinet of tribal curiosities and a unique collection of Indian erotic art as well as porcelain from China, saris from India and several precious pieces from Burma or Siam (formerly Thailand). It admirably illustrates the golden age of the city and offers an astonishing excursion to discover the Asian cultures of the time.

Your hotel in La Rochelle

Are you looking for a hotel in La Rochelle to discover the historical, cultural and natural heritage of the region? At B&B HOTELS, we offer several comfortable and well-located establishments in the heart of the city or in its immediate surroundings.

Close to museums, performance halls, monuments and the best restaurants in La Rochelle, our hotels are easily accessible via the main roads, La Rochelle train station and La Rochelle-île de Ré airport. Perfect for visiting La Rochelle but also the surrounding towns and islands and to stay at a low price if you attend a festival in La Rochelle or a rugby match at the Marcel Deflandre stadium!

Put your bags down in a comfortable and bright room, equipped with a large cozy bed with high quality mattress and pillows, a private bathroom and a flat-screen television with a variety of channel packages (sports, cinema, children's programs, etc.): all B&B HOTELS services are accessible at friendly prices.

Book your hotel in Poitou Charentes now at an exceptional rate!